The Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic (AMO) has delivered ruling in one of the most significant competition cases in the country’s history. On February 12, 2026, the authority issued a decision regarding a coordinated cartel agreement among prominent manufacturers and suppliers of copper and aluminum cables. The proceedings resulted in an aggregate fine of €97,434,800, marking the highest financial penalty ever imposed by the AMO in a single case. This decisive action underscores the regulator’s commitment to dismantling price-fixing structures that inflate costs across vital industrial sectors.
According to the findings of the investigation, the involved parties systematically coordinated their pricing strategies to limit competition. The core of the violation centered on a harmonized method for calculating metal surcharges, often referred to as quotations, for copper and aluminum components. Because these metals represent a substantial portion of the final product cost, the alignment on these surcharges effectively neutralized price competition. This artificial price setting had far-reaching implications, as the cables in question are essential components in the construction, energy, telecommunications, and automotive industries—the latter of which holds a particularly influential position in the Slovak market.
The investigation identified a wide range of participants in the illegal agreement, including ELKOND HHK, VUKI, various entities under the Prysmian and NKT brands, Kablo Vrchlabí, PRECON, Tele–Fonika Cables CZ, KABEX CABLE COMPANY, and ICS Industrial Cables Slovakia. Notably, the Association of Cable and Wire Manufacturers of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic was also named in the decision for acting as a facilitator of the cartel. While the majority of these entities face significant financial penalties, two companies—ICS Industrial Cables Slovakia and PRAKAB Pražská Kabelovna—were granted full immunity from fines. These firms utilized the AMO’s leniency program, providing the critical evidence necessary for the authority to initiate inspections and confirm the existence of the cartel.
The AMO has utilized this high-profile case to reiterate the strategic importance of its leniency and settlement programs. These mechanisms offer participants an opportunity to avoid or reduce fines in exchange for cooperation and the admission of responsibility. Under the current framework, the first company to provide evidence of a violation can receive a total waiver, while subsequent collaborators may see their penalties reduced by up to 50%. Additionally, the “settlement” option allows companies to accept responsibility for a 30% reduction in cartel-related fines, even without providing new evidence.